Chapter 115: Kidnapping (1)

As a result of Lu Tian Chen’s meticulously planned “information leaks,” more and more attention was beginning to be focused on Tang Feng. For Lu Tian Chen, however, the news articles that barely scratched the surface of things and mainly consisted of idle gossip weren’t enough. It was risky for a celebrity to have so much exposure to the public in such a short time frame. It could easily give the public the impression that everything was being blown up in needless hype.

Before the training class’ final examination, the Tian Chen Group’s PR department deliberately reached out to select media outlets and divulged some vague information: Tang Feng was going to act in a Hollywood film. Not as a side character, but as the male lead.

Looking back to the affectionate display the big Hollywood star, Michael Gino, had shown towards Tang Feng, the information seemed to be all the more authentic.

Tang Feng had to thank Lu Tian Chen’s mighty PR team―though it would be more accurate to call them the brainstorming team―for allowing his popularity to soar despite his not having any outstanding works to show. Tang Feng suddenly felt a bit pressured by all the attention. If he didn’t do well in his work, then it wouldn’t be fair to the great lengths Lu Tian Chen had gone for him.

♦

In a quiet coffee shop where one wall was decorated with photos of prominent actors from each decade that had revolutionized the film world, a few patrons sat sparsely amidst the rich fragrance of coffee. Some of the patrons were browsing the web, some were reading, and others were sitting on wooden chairs in the corner and chatting with quiet voices.

“I remember that you didn’t like coffee before,” Chen Ming Xu questioned, looking at the cup of black coffee mixed with milk in front of Tang Feng.

Coincidentally, the two of them were sitting right in front of a portrait of the well-respected actor, Fiennes Tang. Tang Feng felt intimately connected with the picture. It was as if he were looking at his mourning portrait and the realization of it made him a bit humble.

“Once people start getting old, they start appreciating bitter drinks.” Tang Feng said half-seriously, brushing the topic aside. He lifted his cup and swirled the dark liquid inside. “I’ll be going to the United States next month.”

“So the rumors were true?” Chen Ming Xu questioned, widening his eyes. He hadn’t expected Tang Feng to come out and directly affirm his suspicions.

The actor nodded and responded, “The movie has been in the preparation stage for several months now. I’ll be joining the cast for filming next month. It’ll probably be three months before I come back.”

Being very familiar with Hollywood’s work flow, Tang Feng had managed to calculate a rough estimate of the filming schedule for himself. It actually didn’t take much time to shoot a movie, especially in the United States. There was a fixed amount of filming hours every day and everybody was off on the weekends. It really wasn’t a tiring job. The shooting time for an average movie wasn’t long at all, or else, the costs would be too high and the sponsors would protest.

That was the reason why actors who were used to filming movies would never film TV dramas. A first-rate small screen star could earn around four to five-hundred thousand dollars for one episode of a TV series. Even the low budget idol dramas that were shown on the CW Network could net an actor around tens of thousands in earnings per episode. If a TV drama was popular enough, it could be greenlit for numerous seasons that would last several years into the future. As a result, a TV star could end up earning a sizable amount of money in return for their efforts every year.

In comparison, a first-rate film star could earn around thirty million dollars for participating in a high budget commercial film. If they were to participate in the production of the film, their earnings could rise to hundreds of millions. Moreover, the work period didn’t span more than three or four months. Comparatively, TV stars definitely had it more difficult. Additionally, due to the production format of a TV drama, an actor might only have one drama series to show for themselves even after years of acting.

An actor in a popular series wouldn’t have the time to act in another. Even if they had the chance to participate in a movie, it would be difficult for them to get the lead role.

For someone who loved acting, their greatest wish would be to collaborate with as many different respected directors and act in as many different varieties of movies as possible. It was much easier for them to display their skills in a movie format than a TV show.

Oh, also, there were the awards.

In the Forbes’ list of Top Earning Celebrities, the first few spots would always be taken by musicians. But that was a tiring job. Few singers relied on selling CDs to make their living nowadays. Concerts were where musicians truly made their money.

For Tang Feng, however, that way of life was too tiring.

He only had to spend three to four months filming a movie. Sometimes, it could even just be one month. For the rest of the year, he could travel with the film crew around the world for promotional events. He could walk the red carpet in various countries and get to know the actors from those countries. Most of all, he could use the leftover time to do the things that he liked.

That was why actors who had filmed movies would rarely turn to singing or acting in TV dramas.

“That’s fine.” Chen Ming Xu nodded as he held his coffee cup between his hands. He smiled and said, “After you become an international superstar, don’t forget about your old friends like me.”

Tang Feng immediately adopted the proud air of a famous celebrity. “Don’t worry. After I make a name for myself, I’ll grant you the honor of conducting an exclusive interview with me.”